When July eases in, I automatically start longing to go wade-fishing on the nearby Upper Reaches of the Cass River, something I have been doing since childhood. Early July and all the way through the month of August represent what are known as the “Dog Days” of summer. I used to think this timeframe, typically featuring warm and sultry weather, was so named because the usual heat was hard on dogs. However, this is referring to a very bright star, named Sirius, which becomes visible during that timeframe as it arcs across the southern horizon … Read More
The Amazing Hummingbird Way of Life
Several years back, when my wife Ginny and I visited an Embera Indian village along a river in the Panama jungle during mid-March while on a side trip during a Caribbean cruise, we saw an amazing multitude of beautiful butterflies and dragonflies, as well as plenty of colorful hummingbirds, even involving many different species we had never seen before. Ginny purchased a delicate, wooden hummingbird that had been hand-carved by the Embera tribal leader, and this is because the hummingbird is a tiny migratory bird which is very dear to our hearts, and we look … Read More
Exploration Adventures in Yooper-land
There is a unique sense of entering an isolated, slower-paced and back-to-nature atmosphere after crossing the Mackinac bridge into the Upper Peninsula. At least that is the way it is with my wife, Ginny, and me. Our destination was Baraga, where the Michigan Outdoor Writers Association (MOWA) was holding its annual conference at the Baraga Lakeside Inn, which is located right on the shore of Lake Superior and offers great accommodation and food (the meals prepared by chef Doug Smith were outstanding). Baraga is located on Lake Superior near the southeast corner of the Keweenaw … Read More
Those Sudden Surprises In The Great Outdoors
Last summer, I was feeding my horses in an outside manger and a leaf of hay fell on the ground. I bent down to pick it up, and yellow jackets suddenly came swarming out from underneath the manger and began stinging the left side of my face. Well, folks, that will wake you right up! One even zapped me near my left eye. When I looked in the mirror the following morning with my right eye, it wasn’t a pretty sight at all. The left side of my face was swollen, the left eye sealed … Read More
Foul Weather Gobblers Can Be A Challenge
Walking into the Cass City DNR Field Office at 4:30 am just prior to going turkey hunting is always a delight for me, because ladies all clad in camouflage, will be having donuts and coffee while excitedly anticipating heading out with their mentors during the annual 2-day Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) Turkey Hunting Workshop. I greeted the 2 ladies who I was going to mentor, Anna Bucholtz, and her 10-year-old daughter, Delilah and we were soon headed out in my Jeep to some private property I had permission to take them hunting on and … Read More
Autumn Olive – The Great Invasion
The ground my wife Ginny and I started with in 1976 to build our home, was a bare corn stubble field. Entailing 10 acres located at the back of my parents’ farm, a top priority was to establish wildlife covers wherever possible. Because the ground had been treated with herbicide, grass would not get a good start for another 3 years, but it could grow trees and shrubs in good form due to less competition from weeds. Evergreens were at the top of the list, as well as a highly recommended, berry-producing shrub called autumn … Read More
Gearing Up For Spring Gobblers
There is no other atmosphere which can compare to spring turkey hunting in our beautiful state, and Michigan offers an abundant bounty of opportunities. It ranks as being one of the top turkey hunting states in the nation, something I truly appreciate, and sure do enjoy! The fact that spring turkey licenses can now be purchased over the counter certainly works for me. A real nice offering for southern Michigan turkey hunters is the ZZ Unit which runs for the entire April 20 – May 31 season this year on private lands only and is … Read More
Howdah pistols – the forerunner of today’s hunting handguns
During the 1790’s, British officers and other gentlemen associated with the East India Company in India were introduced to big game hunting from the backs of elephants, riding in a basket-like platform known as a “howdah”. A key animal hunted was the tiger, which is a tad bigger than lions, and tigers are very fast and agile, and were well known for jumping and clawing their way up an elephant to reach a hunter riding in the howdah. Having something weighing around 600 pounds which is equipped with meat grinding sharp teeth and claws, can … Read More
The ever-unique atmosphere of spring turkey hunting
Spring of 2023 was a very lucky timeframe for me. I had purchased a raffle ticket from the Cass City Gun Club, for a turkey shotgun. I’ve been none too lucky when it comes to raffles and look at purchasing tickets as generally supporting a good cause and have no expectations of winning anything. However, my ticket was drawn for a Winchester SXP Longbeard 20 ga shotgun, which has turkey hunting written all over it. Being able to use this specialized shotgun a couple weeks later to bag my largest gobbler ever in over 50 … Read More
Nessmuk was a man of the wilderness
George Washington Sears was born in 1821 in Massachusetts and was the eldest of 10 children. While still a child, Sears had to work in a factory, and due to that experience, he enjoyed reading Charles Dickens novels, and grew to not care much for the urban experience. Somewhere along the line he was befriended by a Native American named Nessmuk who tutored him about the outdoors. At age twelve, he went to work for commercial fishermen on Cape Cod, and in 1841 signed up for a three-year whaling voyage to the South Pacific. When … Read More